America after Iraq

America won an asymmetric war in Iraq and lost an asymmetric peace. Translating material power advantage into favourable political outcomes has been a challenge for great powers down the ages—what makes this bridge even more difficult to cross today is the raised expectations on the part of liberal publics about the moral purpose of US‐led interventions. In this sense, Iraq is part of the explanation for why influential liberals believe there is a ‘crisis’ in America's world leadership. ‘America after Iraq’ subjects this claim to analytical scrutiny—in particular it addresses whether Iraq was simply a chapter in a longer book detailing American power and purpose in the post‐9/11 world? In answering this question the article is drawn to consider conceptual debates about a shift in the international system from anarchy to hierarchy with the US as the hegemonic power. While it rejects strong versions of the hierarchy thesis that imply the Washington is the new Rome, it is nevertheless drawn to an understanding of a hierarchical form of ordering where the US oscillates between a hegemonic role and an imperial outlaw. Seen through this lens, the Iraq War was an intervention that happened because it could, and not because it was just or necessary. Public opinion and the weakness of domestic institutions are also critical factors in explaining how it was possible for a previously status‐quo oriented hegemonic power to act recklessly and put the rules and institutions of international society under strain.     

America in denial

The recent publication of State of denial, by veteran Washington journalist Bob Woodward, created firestorm of controversy over its central claim that the Bush administration is in denial over the severity of the unfolding crisis in Iraq. But one of the most revealing aspects of the book is its portrayal of the American policymaking process as dysfunctional, incompetent and beset by personal rivalries and ambitions. Woodward's account of the Bush administration's handling of Iraq reveals that bureaucratic necrosis, cronyism and internecine warfare between the Pentagon and the State Department are now the signature features of the American government. Thus an alternative reading of Woodward's book suggests that American people are no longer in denial about Iraq, but have yet to reckon with the deeper problem: the deterioration of their foreign policy establishment.     

在美国“扫街”

<正>对于东方人来说,西方世界的一切都似乎那么新奇、有趣。在欧美,单是在大街上走,就足以让你眼花缭乱。但如果跟旅行团走马观花会让"色友"着急上火、难以尽兴。笔者有幸在美国芝加哥留学一年,休息日就可以带上"长枪短炮"在大街上"扫"一天,过足了"清洁工"的瘾,实乃大快特快之事。     

Security in Latin America

This article provides an overview of recent trends in Latin American security and examines three common assumptions that underpin both academic analysis and policy debate—assumptions about the links between political democracy, economic integration and regional stability, and about the need to broaden the agenda of regional security. In contrast to the liberal orthodoxy, there is little reason to believe that the promotion of political democracy and economic liberalization and integration will automatically tend towards regional stability, especially given the weakness of regional institutions, the fragility of many states, the inequality of power among states, and the lack of consensus over the meaning and implications of the 'new security agenda'.     

在美国所读《碛砂藏》

早已耳闻美国普林斯顿大学葛思德书库藏有甚多宋元版的《碛砂藏》,惜未经眼,适有哈佛大学燕京学社图书馆邀请参加该馆75周年馆庆,于是趁此良机,到纽约、普林斯顿、华盛顿等地访读中文古籍,遂得以见到若干种《碛砂藏》.     

Editorial: Palaeolithic America

Abstract

We present the results of the Cerro Jazmín Archaeological Project, a mapping and intensive survey project of a hilltop urban center in the Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca, Mexico. Our archaeological and geomorphological investigations reveal a long history of intermittent occupation with the time of maximum occupation, the Early Postclassic, corresponding with soil formation and landscape stability. Our population estimates are compared with agricultural production projections to assess the city's capability to feed its population and we argue that it functioned as an agricultural center. In a broader discussion of landscape and urbanism, Cerro Jazmín's managed labor was needed to build, manage, and maintain its terrace systems. Our findings show that large urban populations do not necessarily cause environmental degradation.     

Tibetologists Visit North America

OnNovember13,1996,agroupofChina'sTibetologistsreacheddayvisittotheUnitedStatesandMexico.MembersofthegroupincludePuncogCering,presidentoftheTibetAcademyofSocialSciences;DainzinJigmei,associateresearchfel1owwiththeTibetEducationalResearchInstitute;Bemataota…